Numerous situations exist in which interior parts of the human body needs to be catheterized through an artificial stoma to achieve a desired medical goal. Relatively common situations are for drainage of retained fluids and administering nutritional solutions or medicines directly into the stomach or intestines. For these situations a stoma is formed percutaneously and an indwelling device is placed through the stoma. By way of example the surgical opening and/or the procedure to create a stoma spanning between the stomach or intestinal wall and the exterior of the skin is commonly referred to as “gastrostomy.” A device with a catheter component, e.g., a feeding tube, placed through such a stoma allows injection of feeding solutions through the tube to provide nutrients directly to the stomach or intestines (known as enteral feeding). A variety of different devices intended for enteral feeding have been developed over the years, including some having a “low profile” relative to that portion which sits on a patient's skin, as well as those having the more traditional or non-low profile configuration. These percutaneous transconduit devices (sometimes referred to as “percutaneous transconduit catheters”) are frequently referred to as “gastrostomy tubes,” “percutaneous gastrostomy tubes,” “PEG tubes,” or “enteral feeding tubes.” U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,746 for a “Low Profile Balloon Feeding Device” issued to Picha et al. on Feb. 1, 2000, provides an example of one device.
As indicated above, there are a variety of instances in which it may be necessary to use a catheter, one of which is the not uncommon reaction following major surgery in which a patient's stomach function is impaired for a period of time. In addition to the need to supply or supplement the body with a certain level of nutrients and the like following surgery as well as in other instances of impaired or limited gastric functionality, a further issue is that an unfed gut can become a source of bacteria that gets into the bloodstream. These types of problems may be resolved by the introduction of nutrients through an enteral feeding device tube properly inserted through the patient's abdominal wall, gastric wall, pylorus, duodenum, and/or into the jejunum beyond the Ligament of Treitz.
Typically, patients who are enterally fed and who have reflux or aspiration issues are denied the feeling of being satiated or “full” because such patients are fed jejunally, i.e., the nutrients are provided directly into the small intestine, or are fed on a continuous drip feed into the stomach, e.g., for 12 hours or longer. Thus, such patients usually are not fed on a “normal” or typical feeding regimen, e.g., two or three times a day, and may be denied the feeling of having eaten enough, which feeling generally occurs when the stomach swells to accept a bolus of food.
Accordingly, an enteral feeding device that provides improved satiation for a patient would be useful. More particularly, an enteral feeding device that simulates or replicates a satiated feeling while also providing continuous feeding would be beneficial. Further, an enteral feeding device incorporating a balloon for internal positioning within a patient that accepts a bolus of food and provides continuous feeding to the patient would be advantageous.